This week's biggest new movies to watch online sees Tom Hanks hitting Netflix, as his latest film is finally available to stream on a subscription-based service. So, folks who (understandably so) didn't want to spend more cash to buy or rent? Your patience has paid off.
Elsewhere, the Dungeons & Dragons reboot hit digital and Nic Cage is taking a bite out of the streaming landscape. Interestingly, Peacock gives us Willem Dafoe as a thief in a bad situation in an under-the-radar movie.
Plus, Russell Crowe and Toni Collette find themselves in two different kinds of danger. Here's the biggest new movies to stream this week (and we've added their Rotten Tomatoes scores).
A Man Called Otto (Netflix)
Tom Hanks, as famous as he is, has always given off the vibes of everybody's neighbor. And in A Man Called Otto, he literally plays the grumpy next-door neighbor of Marisol (Mariana Trevino) and Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) — who happen upon him at just the right time.
They find Otto (Hanks) in an emotional spiral, mourning the loss of his wife Sonya, and unwilling to accept help. But, fortunately, they won't stop trying to break through with him. Otto also finds a stray cat, who may give him more than any human can.
If A Man Called Otto sounds formulaic, that may in fact be the point — as critics say it delivers the feel-good catharsis you'd expect. Hanks and Trevino got due applause for their strong performances.
Watch on Netflix starting Saturday (May 6)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Digital)
I am shocked I'm writing this, but the new Dungeons & Dragons movie is a ton of fun, even if you're not the fantasy type. After Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power series bored me, and House of the Dragon took a while to heat up, I thought the genre was just not my thing. It turns out I was wrong.
Honor Among Thieves, from directors/screenwriters Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, is a blast. It follows a bard named Edgin (Chris Pine), who is down on his luck after making enough mistakes in life to have some pretty strong foes. Fortunately, his barbarian friend Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez) is as mighty as he's clever.
Now, they have to rescue Edgin's daughter, and stop the evil the Red Wizards who are summoning the dead. Edgin and Holga form a party of new friends that include a paladin (Regé-Jean Page) who doesn't do well with humor. And while he comes close to being too similar to Dave Bautista's Drax, the Bridgerton alum leans more into the smug side of aloofness. And just like he did in Star Trek, Pine helps tie the whole movie together with his likable yet flawed heroics.
Buy digitally on Amazon and other digital retailers today (Tuesday, May 2)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Bones & All (MGM Plus)
Timothée Chalamet may be taking the world over with big upcoming roles in Dune Part 2 and that Wonka movie, but he's still taking time for indie gems that confuse and hypnotize. And Bones & All (which reunites him with Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino) is the latest example, because it's a tender movie about cannibalism and romance.
Bones & All follows Maren (Taylor Russell) through a long and winding life on the road in 1988, where she's dealing with an uncontrollable urge for the flesh of her fellow humans. She's not a zombie, mind you. She just can't quit this habit that puts her and her loved ones in grave danger.
On the road, she meets Lee (Chalamet), who shares her condition, and the two do their best to help each other make it. Both of their pasts continue to haunt them, though. A beautiful movie about a subject that will revolt many, Bones & All is a movie I'm glad I saw in theaters.
Watch right now on MGM Plus (also available via Prime Video Channels) right now (released Monday, May 1)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Inside (Peacock)
Nemo (Willem Defoe) is a veteran art thief who is on one of the biggest missions of his career — pilfering millions of dollars worth of classics from a high-rise New York City penthouse. And while everything seems like it's going to go according to plan, the sirens hit and Nemo's suddenly trapped.
This is when the madness begins, as Nemo can only communicate with animals that cannot help him. While he would normally treat every item in the room with care and delicacy, Nemo becomes increasingly hostile as he tries to find a way to break out.
Watch on Peacock starting Friday (May 5)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%
Renfield (Digital)
Universal Studios' world of monsters is back, but it's entering the modern horror scene in a sideways manner. Renfield, or as you might know it "that movie with Nicolas Cage as Dracula," is a horror comedy about how the famed blood-sucker is a bad boss. His employee? The titular Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), who's suffered through a lot over the years.
After a new friend (Awkwafina) tells Renfield how bad he has it, the subordinate is ready to tell Drac to take this job and suck it. Critics didn't love it, but audiences rated it higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
Buy digitally on Amazon and other digital retailers today (Tuesday, May 2)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%
Mafia Mamma (Digital)
Some people inherit jewelry, some inherit ... the mafia? Yes, that's the reality slowly dawning on Kristen (Toni Collette), after her grandfather passes away. But she only truly learns about the the family business after the bullets fly at the funeral.
And while Kristen's newly acquired hitmen are willing to take out her cheating husband, her trip is producing more trouble than solutions. Silly to the point of farce, Mafia Mamma benefits from the fact that Toni Collette is always entertaining, and Monica Bellucci is perfectly cast as the mafioso who brings her into her new family.
Buy digitally on Amazon and other digital retailers today (Tuesday, May 2)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 21%
The Pope’s Exorcist (Digital)
Yes, even the Pope gets his own exorcist. And, shockingly, this movie is based off of a real person: Father Gabriele Amorth, who founded the International Association of Exorcists. Here, Amorth (Russell Crowe) has to deal with the worst case scenario: the Pope himself is ill, and demonic foul play is apparently involved.
Critics say The Pope's Exorcist is the latest solid horror movie about possession, bolstered by Crowe's strong performance. It's not trying to claim or sully the grounds surrounding the original The Exorcist, just extend the lore. Oh, and a sequel is confirmed.
Buy digitally on Amazon and other on-demand services starting today (Tuesday, April 25th)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
